The present invention relates to the fields of advertising display standards and sound reproduction technologies, and more particularly to an advertising display standard that replays a prerecorded audio message when activated by an attendant listener and provides a place to hang/support a visual display. The present invention may also include recording capability, and/or automatic illumination of a visual advertising display hung/supported thereon when ambient light is low.
Making information available to consumers is an important aspect of the advertising profession. Advertising displays, such as those posted on the premises of the real estate for sale/lease, are an indispensable part of attracting and notifying potential customers of the availability of the item, service or property. The free standing advertising displays in common use today consist simply of a flat visual panel hanging from an upright standard that contains a very short informational message such as a phone number, name, title, and perhaps some minimal detail about the thing advertised, etc.
One problem with the advertising displays just described is that the extremely short visual message limits the amount of information a seller/advertiser can provide to a potential interested party. In addition, the advertisement is limited to the written form of expression. What is needed is a means for both increasing the amount of information and providing that information in a more intriguing manner than mere written expression.
Realty advertisers have attempted to answer the problem of the limited amount of information by keeping a steady supply of paper flyers containing more detailed information in a tube or box attached to a realty standard. But, like the visual panel, the flyer information is limited to mere written expression. Another drawback with using paper flyers to provide supplementary advertising information is that the flyers must be routinely checked and replenished to be certain a supply of flyers is always available.
Another attempt to answer the problem of the limited ability of visual displays to educate and interest potential customers is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,076 (Ruocco et al.) which describes a realty sign containing a radio transmitter that continuously broadcasts an advertising message contained on a continuously replaying taped recording. Two drawbacks with the Ruocco et al. advertising display are that the broadcasted message is only available to the potential buyer/lessee who has a radio, and, for those who do have a radio, the space between the transmitter and the radio must be free of interference for a clear message to be broadcasted and heard. Another problem is that where two or more advertising displays for different properties are in close proximity to one another, all must either broadcast at different radio frequencies or must broadcast the same message.
Accordingly, the advertising art still lacks an advertising display standard that provides an abundance of specific information day or night to an interested bystander that does not require restocking, and further, provides more than mere written expression that does not require the customer to possess his or her own accessory such as a radio.